When I was in high school, I was more or less in love with Helen Hunt… or I guess her character, Jamie. She seemed to be the perfect wife. Hot, intellegent, witty… she could banter… and she was totally willing to fuck on the kitchen table while her friends were in the next room. Who could ask for more than that?
Huh. That was actually waaaaaaay off point.
There was an episode about Paul’s ( Paul Reiser) birthday, where he explained a tradition that his Uncle had passed on to him. Every year on his birthday, he took a glass of a specific bottle of cogniac (?), went for a walk and reflected.
I always thought it was cool tradition, and when I was 21, I decided to implement a version of it. Basically, at the end of every year, you talk about your accomplishments and failures of the past year, and what you hope to accomplish in the next year. And we do this so that we may never become complacent in our lives.
The tradition sort of failed for years, because I didn’t have anyone who was willing to do it with me. But I’ve been doing it online the last couple of years. That is what the internet and myspace are for, after all! Sharing. I encourage you to do it with me, but if you do, put it in a blog of your own. You cannot possibly recount your year and your future in a single comment.
So, these were my 2009 predictions.
- I’ll get my license and go riding with my old man.
- I will save money and buy my new iMac computer.
- There will be a second job. And there may be a new first job if the right circumstances come along.
- Publishing is a difficult thing to predict. But i will advance myself as a writer and artist, and work towards making those dreams a reality.
- To better myself as a man, I will talk to every pretty girl I run across.
- To better myself as a person, I will control my rage and be nicer to people.
- I will forge new relationships and friendships, female or otherwise. And I will strengthen the bonds I have.
- I will work to regain a level of personal control. Meditation is a good start.
- To lose weight, I will change factions of my diet and buy a bicycle for regular exercise.
- Moving is first and foremost on my mind. I will search job listings and attempt to move by this time next year.
Okay… admittedly, I failed at almost each and every one of my predictions.
Didn’t lose weight, didn’t publish, damn sure didn’t exercise, no second job, angrier than ever and didn’t talk to very many girls.
That said, this year wasn’t a failure. I did go riding with my old man. I have a Macbook. Made new friends and strengthened others. As a writer, I have advanced to professional status and I’m really proud of my sites and my work.
I did move. It didn’t work out. But with defeat, a new kind of clarity has come about. I have goals. Clear, distinct goals.
Both personally and financially, this has been one of the most trying years of my life. But it has been rewarding in so many ways. I feel good and strong. There is the feeling in the air that no matter how bad things get, they will work out.
So here are my 2010 Predictions.
- I will work to better myself financially. Money needs to be saved for the future.
- Professionally, I will continue to advance myself as a writer. My websites require a commitment from me on a daily basis.
- I will make an effort to be more sociable.
- There has been a renewed interest in me in photography. I would like to explore that.
- More thought will be given to stand-up.
- I will be more politically active in my world and community.
- I will do more to help my family and friends.
- Thats it for me. Remember, these are not New Year’s resolutions. They are predictions. Whether I do them or not is up to me, but there is no immediacy on them. Do you have any predictions? Are you where you thought you would be a year ago?
